CVE-2021-42561
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized...
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized name parameter to a python "os.system" function. This allows attackers to use shell metacharacters (e.g., backticks "``" or dollar parenthesis "$()" ) in order to escape the current command and execute arbitrary shell commands.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- Low
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
8.8
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized name parameter to a python "os.system" function. This allows attackers to use shell metacharacters (e.g., backticks "``" or dollar parenthesis "$()" ) in order to escape the current command and execute arbitrary shell commands.
- Record
CVE-2021-42561- CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 9.0 High
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:C/I:C/A:C - Weakness
- CWE-74
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized name parameter to a python "os.system" function. This allows attackers to use shell metacharacters (e.g., backticks "``" or dollar parenthesis "$()" ) in order to escape the current command and execute arbitrary shell commands.
- Record
CVE-2021-42561- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-29529 No score
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized name parameter to a python "os.system" function. This allows attackers to use shell metacharacters (e.g., backticks "``" or dollar parenthesis "$()" ) in order to escape the current command and execute arbitrary shell commands.
- Record
EUVD-2021-29529- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-3893-j6q6-whq8
8.8
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized...
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized name parameter to a python "os.system" function. This allows attackers to use shell metacharacters (e.g., backticks "``" or dollar parenthesis "$()" ) in order to escape the current command and execute arbitrary shell commands.
- Record
GHSA-3893-j6q6-whq8- CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-88
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
8.8
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized name parameter to a python "os.system" function. This allows attackers to use shell metacharacters (e.g., backticks "``" or dollar parenthesis "$()" ) in order to escape the current command and execute arbitrary shell commands.
- Record
CVE-2021-42561- CVSS 3.1
- 8.8 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Public exploits
Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.
| Source | Link | Date |
|---|---|---|
| PoC in GitHub | mbadanoiu/CVE-2021-42561 | 2024-06-09 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV, PoC in GitHub |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-42561 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.8) in Mitre Caldera, published January 12, 2022. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 19.6%, the 97th percentile. No source names a fixed version.